Enough!

Let's face it, architects are human.  What about those who have
architect-designed homes that just don't work --- despite endless
conferences during the design & spec process?  Then there are architects who
must work within governmental guidelines that are applied no matter what the
purpose of the building is to be.

I stick with a museum's choosing an architectural firm that has prior museum
experience, or insisting that the firm bring in such a consulting
architect -- and placing responsibility for effective staff-architect
dialogue in the hands of the museum CEO.
University faculty and museum staff -- left in charge -- can really drive up
the price of construction unnecessarily.  It's a checks & balances system,
compromises, and -- yes -- some errors, but mostly home runs.
-----Original Message-----
From: Angela Putney <[log in to unmask]>
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.museum-l
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thursday, April 09, 1998 5:37 PM
Subject: Re: Ms. Feltham's museum architecture -Reply


><<<<< Timothy Kane wrote:
>>       To the many -- May I suggest that [you] get an idea of what
>>architecture is and what architects do (beyond the one project you had
>>a bad time with).  You'll be doing everyone a favor.
>
>        Unfortunately, I think that you will find many people with examples
>of buildings built that do not serve the intended purpose well, due
entirely
>to the architect and not the future tennents for whom it is designed. For
>example,  the auditorium built at a well known engineering university
>which has horrid acoustics. The architect refused to make changes after
>some of the resident engineers pointed out that it would be bad because
>it wouldn't look right (I have sat in the auditorium repeatedly and
>sometimes I have been unable to hear a thing, whereas a few seats over
>the sound is crystal clear). Then there is another university where the
>library has the most unusable design I have ever seen and tried to use,
>all because the architect wanted to make a statement. Both of these
>were designed by extremely well known and respected architects.
>***They could not have been fired for not doing a good job because the
>donor or board choosing the architect and design wanted a building built
>by architect X on their campus.*** (In the case of the library, I know that
>the donor said that achitect X will build the building. Period.).
>        I am positive that there are plenty of architects out there who can
>and do design good museums, auditoriums, libraries, etc. and who work
>well with the future residents to make sure everyone is happy. However,
>I am sure there are plenty of cases (perhaps those which are presently
>being discussed) where those who are trying to communicate with the
>architects have no power to fire them. Thus the architects can ignore the
>fact that the classrooms are in a dark basement and the different
>departments are located far from one another, as long as they can
>convince the purse holders that it is an excellent design. It is
unfortunate
>that this is occuring.
>
>                                                Angela Putney, Ph.D.
>                                                Physics Management Fellow
>                                                American Institute of
Physics
>                                                One Physics Ellipse
>                                                College Park, MD 20740
>
>                                                [log in to unmask]